Grades from KU Jayhawks’ 37-16 win over Oklahoma State and looking ahead to Texas Tech
Here are our letter grades for all three Kansas units, plus our play of the game, from Saturday’s 37-16 win over Oklahoma State at Booth Memorial Stadium and a look ahead to the next game, Saturday vs. Texas Tech in Lubbock Texas.
Play of the game
Kansas senior quarterback Jason Bean produced one of the best touchdown runs of this or any season, racing 73 yards for a second-quarter score on a second-and-10 call from the KU 27.
Bean headed up the middle after accepting the shotgun snap and faking a handoff to Ky Thomas. He broke two tackles en route to the left sideline and outran corner Jabbar Muhammad the last 30 yards into the end zone.
Bean showed remarkable speed on the dash, and agility in not stepping out of bounds. His TD run gave KU a 17-7 lead with 9 minutes, 10 seconds left in the second quarter. His score capped a two-play, 75-yard drive that came right after Oklahom State had cut a 10-0 KU lead to 10-7.
“That’s one of the reasons you feel bad you are at ground level and not above (the play), because I won’t have a chance to enjoy it until I see some highlights tonight,” KU coach Lance Leipold said, his view impeded some from the sidelines.
“When he got on the far sideline it was kind of like we all know how fast he is .It’s like we were waiting for one of those moments where we could really let him showcase that speed. It was one heck of a play, that’s for sure,” Leipold added.
It was KU’s longest run for a touchdown by a KU quarterback since Bill Whittemore raced 74 yards for a TD on Sept. 28, 2002 at Tulsa.
“It was all my teammates. I just happened to be the one with the ball. There was a lot of great blocking out there,” Bean said. “Obviously it was a good call by Coach K (offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki). I executed it to the best of my ability.”
KU linebacker Rich Miller never doubted Bean would outrun Muhammad.
“Nobody’s catching Bean,” Miller said with a smile. “I’m not going to lie. No one is catching him.”
Miller was quick to celebrate with Bean after the TD.
“You turn on the tape you’ll see me running down the (opposite) sideline with him,” Miller said. “Bean’s my boy. I’m always on him about stuff like that (breaking free for TD runs). He came through and did it. I’m excited for him.”
Grades
Offense: A
Kansas had a season-high 554 yards of total offense (351 rushing, 203 passing). It marked the third time this season KU has posted 500-plus yards of total offense (540 vs. TCU, 528 vs. Duke, 502 vs. Tennessee Tech). Kansas’ 554 yards were the most since the Jayhawks gained 569 at Texas in 2019, Kansas’ 351 yards rushing were its most since Sept. 15, 2018 vs. Rutgers (405).
Devin Neal finished with 32 carries for 224 yards, surpassing 100 yards for the fifth time in his career. Neal finished the first half with 146 rushing yards. He also had six catches total for 110 yards.
Junior Luke Grimm finished with a career-high seven receptions for 65 yards. Grimm’s previous career high in receptions was six which came on three occasions, most recently against TCU in 2022
Defense: B
Oklahoma State gained 304 yards passing and 111 rushing for a healthy total of 415 yards. Quarterback Garrett Rangel completed 27 of 40 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. However, KU’s defense came up with three interceptions: by Cobee Bryant, Mello Dotson and Rich Miller. Miller ran 37 yards with his interception.
Kenny Logan had eight tackles, while Miller and Bryant had six apiece. Miller also had a sack, He became the first Jayhawk since 2015 to have a sack and interception in the same game. Marcquise Roberts had a sack and interception in 2015 at Iowa State.
Special teams: B
Jacob Borcila connected on field goals from 31, 21 and 20 yards. Reis Vernon averaged 31.3 yards on three punts on a windy day. His long punt was 38 yards. Tabor Allen had eight kickoffs with five sailing into the end zone for touchbacks.
Next
KU will meet Texas Tech at 6 p.m., Saturday, in Lubbock, It will be shown on ESPN+. Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4) lost to TCU 34-24 Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
